Riding the Riptide
by My Sweet Euphoria
Summary: Just a story with an OC that I made. La'gaan/OC.
1. Happy New Year

**Mount Justice - January 1, 18:18 EST**

It was quieter than usual at the cave that afternoon. Delta squad, consisting of Miss Martian, Superboy, Robin, Beast Boy, Bumblebee and Blue Beetle, was currently on a mission in the sewers to detain Clayface. That only left four team members in the cave. La'gaan, aka Lagoon Boy, was currently fighting Nightwing in hand-to-hand combat, and Mal was running the com for delta squad. That left a young fifteen year old girl with long, sandy brown hair sitting on the floor relaxing with Wolf, watching the two older teens battle.

This young girl was Charlotte Fischer, aka Charlie, or according to her alias, Riptide. She had complete elemental control over water. She was able to move it and bend it, even freeze it however she saw fit, which was how she got her alias in the first place. But with her abilities also came great danger. If she got too worked up and wasn't careful, she could do a great deal of damage with her powers. She could even create a hurricane if her emotions weren't under control, which was why she spent a great deal of time with Black Canary, to make sure she kept herself in check.

Glancing at the two boys battling it out, La'gaan ended up on the ground, causing Charlie to smirk. "Neptune's beard! You did it to me again." The girl watched as Nightwing held a hand out to the Atlantean, which he took. As the older boy helped him up, he continued to speak. "I don't care how many years you trained as Robin and then Nightwing. One of these days, you're mine, chum." That caused Nightwing to grin.

"I don't doubt it Lagoon Boy." Charlie shook her head.

"I do," she muttered to herself. She glanced up as she heard an electronic female voice suddenly speak.

"Recognized: Superboy , B04. Miss Martian, B05. Bumblebee, B17. Beast Boy, B19. Robin, B20. Blue Beetle, B22." The sandy haired girl watched as delta squad entered the cave. Mal immediately greeted Bumblebee, and Charlie scowled as La'gaan walked over to Miss Martian.

"Welcome home Angelfish." Charlie watched the redhead thank him before they began making out, making the brown haired girl want to gag. Her hazel eyes landed on Superboy, who glanced their way briefly before scowling and walking right by them, saying he was hitting the showers. That caused Blue Beetle to comment saying that was a good idea for Beast Boy, who was currently covered in sludge from the sewers and was stinking up the place, before he armored down and walked away.

"I agree with Jaime, BB. You could use a good shower. Or ten," she teased with a smirk. The green skinned boy's response was to stick his tongue out at her, and she chuckled and shook her head. That was when an emergency alert came in from Captain Atom, informing them that United Nations headquarters was under attack. Nightwing ended up sending beta squad, aka Wondergirl and Batgirl, to handle that, so Charlie decided to go to her room for some alone time.

**Mount Justice - January 4, 20:00 EST**

A few days later, Nightwing called a team meeting, explaining to them an attack that Captain Atom had started to plan earlier. "It's all hands on deck. The League and the team will hit all fourteen Krolotean zeta locations simultaneously. Your priorities are to destroy all zeta tubes or platforms and search for any humans the aliens may have abducted. As always, Mal is ops. manager, coordinating comm. from here."

"Come on alpha squad." Charlie looked next to her at La'gaan, who was looking at Nightwing hopefully. She rolled her eyes and looked at the team leader, waiting for her assignment.

"Wondergirl, you and I are alpha." That caused the blonde girl to let out a happy yes, and La'gaan to let out an exasperated 'Neptune's beard!' while Nightwing continued, saying they would be stationed in Philadelphia.

"Okay, okay. Give me beta." Charlie shot La'gaan a look.

"Quiet." She returned her attention to Nightwing.

"Batgirl, Bumblebee. You two and Wolf are beta. Assignment, Vladivostok." That caused La'gaan to let out a groan, but the sandy haired girl and everyone else ignored him. "Robin, La'gaan, Beetle, Riptide, you're gamma. Prep the bioship. You're headed to New Orleans." Charlie nodded and turned, looking at La'gaan as he spoke again.

"Gamma always gets the soft gigs." She gave the Atlantean a good jab to the stomach with her elbow, earning a glare from him.

"Ow. What was that for?" Charlie glared back at him.

"Shut up La'gaan. Be happy you got any gig at all," she snapped. La'gaan mimicked her, doing his best girl voice, and she punched him in the shoulder before storming ahead. Blue Beetle waited until she was out of ear shot before speaking.

"Dude, you might not want to piss her off. You know how dangerous she can get when she's angry." La'gaan just crossed his arms defiantly, and Jaime sighed, shaking his head and walking away. "Something tells me this is gonna be more than just a soft gig."

**New Orleans - January 4, 21:59 CST**

Charlie arrived in New Orleans with Robin, Lagoon Boy and Blue Beetle via bioship a little while later. As soon as they arrived, La'gaan immediately opened his mouth.

"A tool shed? Barely enough room for one zeta tube in there. I knew we got the soft gig." Charlie rolled her eyes, glancing at Jaime as he spoke up.

"And yet, I'm strangely okay with that." She watched him slip his hands behind his head and lean back in his seat before he began having a little argument with what seemed to be himself, which the brown haired girl had learned to ignore. She heard Robin call the cave and inform Mal that they were in position, and he told the masked boy that the other teams were in place too. As soon as Mal said it was go time, La'gaan opened a hatch in the bioship, and the four teens jumped out and landed below. Once they landed, Jaime's armor equipped a sonic cannon, which he used to blast the tool shed. La'gaan then went to inspect it and kicked a small red toolbox lying on the ground.

"Congratulations Blue. You took out an actual tool shed." Robin was quick to call the cave and tell them there was no tube, but Mal informed them that there was still a trace of zeta radiation. Robin confirmed that fact, and told them the zeta radiation was coming from below the water line. He looked at Charlie and Lagoon Boy.

"You're up." The sandy haired girl watched the Atlantean teen immediately dive into the water, and she rolled her eyes. She drew some water towards her and made a bubble around her, trapping the air inside so she would be able to breathe underwater. Then, she jumped in too and swam after La'gaan. The two of them came upon an underwater hatch that was opening and closing, and La'gaan called the others to come down below. Robin gave him a signal, and he grinned before the tattoos on his arms began to glow, and his upper body swelled to a massive size. Charlie watched him hold the hatch open, and she, Robin and Blue Beetle swam inside before La'gaan let go, shrunk and followed them.

The four of them found a place to hide where they thought the Kroloteans wouldn't spot them, and Robin contacted Mal. "Gamma to cave. We hit the mother load. Huge base, alien tech, multiple zeta...uh...platforms, and more Kroloteans than I can count." Mal quickly responded.

"Acknowledged. We'll send backup. Until then, _lay low._" That was when Blue Beetle suddenly spoke up, before Mal and Robin had even ended the call.

"That might be a _problema ese._" He pointed to where the Kroloteans were, and the rest of the team looked to see a few giant screens with an image of themselves on them. They turned to look behind them, and caught sight of a camera. The four of them heard the Krolotean general speak, and they all turned to look at him. That was when a massive amount of Kroloteans came charging at them, and they all looked at each other. Jaime was the first one to speak, looking at La'gaan. "Soft gig huh?"

Blue Beetle, Lagoon Boy and Riptide all looked at Robin to tell them what to do, as he was team leader. After a few moments of hesitation, he spoke. "Form up. Blue, you have our six*."

"_Si hermano._" Charlie, La'gaan and Robin came out from their 'hiding place' and faced the oncoming mass of Kroloteans, while Jaime covered their backs.

"Stay liquid minnows." Charlie glanced at the Atlantean before the two of them and Robin charged at the Kroloteans. Robin started hitting them with his staff and throwing small explosives at them, while Lagoon Boy bulked up and began bashing away at them. Riptide got some water and brought it around her so it was covering her arms and shoulders. She then began lashing out at the small aliens, using the water around her arms like tentacles to whip the Kroloteans away.

Blue armored up his sonic cannon and began blasting away the Kroloteans that the three of them couldn't pay attention to, and the general started to shout something in their alien language. All of a sudden, the little aliens began retreating, and La'gaan's upper body shrunk. "They really don't like you. I'm a little jealous." Blue wasn't listening to a word the Atlantean was saying though, instead listening to the Krolotean general.

"He said what?!" That was when La'gaan spoke up again."

"I said I'm jealous! Don't rub it in!" Jaime waved him off.

"Not you! That heffin over there!" Blue shouted.

"Wait, you can understand the screeching? How?" Robin asked, batting away more Kroloteans.

"I-I-I don't know exactly, but I can. Heff is ordering all the Kroloteans to zeta off world. He's setting this base to self destruct in four minutes!" he shouted, voice panicky.

"Then we're getting out," Robin said. "Anything else I need to know?"

"No ze. He said something about...sacrificing the playthings below?" Blue replied. Robin thought for a moment.

"Playthings? Oh man, the abductees!" he said.

"Three minutes thirty _ese. _Then boom!" Blue told him.

"And Nightwing said no unnecessary risks to the squad...But this is necessary. Below! We have to get below!" La'gaan pointed out some tubes that some Kroloteans were coming out of, and Robin spoke up. "Beetle, on point. Go!"

"Going!" Charlie watched as Jaime's arms transformed, and they basically turned into one big battering ram that he used to get the Kroloteans out of the way. Robin, La'gaan and Charlie followed behind him. They ended up below, and Robin told him to grab a Krolotean they found. Suddenly, a male voice was heard, and Riptide and Robin ran towards it. Lagoon Boy and Blue Beetle followed. When the abductees saw her and Robin, they let out sighs of relief. At least, until they saw La'gaan and Blue. They thought they were more aliens, which Jaime was quick to point out that they weren't.

Riptide watched as La'gaan opened the cage they were in after his body enlarged, and one of the men tried to apologize to him for calling him an alien. "It's fine. I get that a lot, _chum._" Charlie rolled her eyes and smacked the back of his head. "Ow! What?"_  
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"Now's not the time La'gaan. Let's get these people out of here." Robin told Blue to ask the Krolotean they captured he fastest way out.

"Dude, I don't speak the- wait, you can? Well, what are you waiting for?" While he spoke to the alien, Charlie, Robin and La'gaan all looked at each other.

"Blue's an...odd little fish, isn't he?" the Atlantean said. Eventually Blue got the Krolotean to tell him the fastest way out, and they all bolted in that direction. They all managed to get out before the base exploded, and everyone popped up to the surface. Well, everyone except for Lagoon Boy.

"Where's La'gaan?" After a few moments, he popped up to the surface, raising his arms in the air.

"That's right! Gamma squad ruuuules!" Everyone sighed in relief, and the Justice League, along with some of their team, showed up. They all looked up at them, and eventually Nightwing smiled at them, specifically Robin, and spoke.

"Dude, way to get your feet wet."

_**So that's the first chapter. What do you think? Comments are always appreciated, and constructive criticism is welcomed. Also, if anyone was wondering what Robin meant when he said "Blue, you have our six," what he meant was that Blue Beetle has their backs. Just in case you were wondering. :) Again, please review!**_


	2. Alienated

**Mount Justice - January 6, unknown time**

By the time gamma squad, as well as the rest of the squads, returned to the cave, Miss Martian, Superboy, and Beast Boy had left with scientist Adam Strange to cut off the Kroloteans' main zeta base, which was located on the planet Rann. La'gann, of course, was unable to sit still due to the fact that Megan was not only with her ex-boyfriend, Connor, but that she was on a whole other planet where she was in danger of being captured. The Atlantean was currently pacing back and forth in the living room, right in front of the television, which Charlie was currently trying to watch. Add that to the fact that he was also talking to himself out loud, and the sandy haired girl was getting pretty peeved. Her eye twitched as he continued, and she let out a sigh.

"La'gaan!" The Atlantean stopped in his tracks and looked at her, his expression conveying confusion. "If you're going to pace back and forth and talk to yourself, could you please do it somewhere that's not here? I'm trying to watch television." La'gaan scowled at her.

"Hey, how would you feel if your boyfriend was on another planet, possibly in danger, and you couldn't do anything to help him?" Charlie rolled her eyes.

"I don't have a boyfriend." La'gaan growled.

"Just pretend," he said to her through gritted teeth. Charlie sighed and thought for a moment.

"Honestly, I would feel fine." La'gaan gave her a disbelieving look, but she ignored it and continued. "He would be with Superboy, Beast Boy, so he would be in good hands. If he needed any protection, which he probably wouldn't, he would have them to back him up." The brown haired girl stood up and walked over to La'gaan, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. "La'gaan, Megan is fine. She's a big girl who can take care of herself. And if something does happen, Superboy and Beast will be there to help. You don't need to worry."

La'gaan looked at her and was silent for a few moments before letting out a groan. "Ugh. I hate it when you're right," he muttered. Charlie smirked and patted him on the head, earning herself a scowl from him. He was about to say something else, but was cut off as one of the zeta tubes suddenly turned on. Within moments, Miss Martian, Superboy, Beast Boy, Nightwing, and Captain Atom entered the hall. Nightwing called a team meeting, and everyone gathered around.

"Miss Martian has uncovered that any Kroloteans that have been discovered were instructed to go to a secret base underneath Malina Island. Our mission is a simple recon. mission. We'll be having two teams. One will infiltrate the island to gather intel, while another will be on standby inside the bioship in case we need backup." Everyone listened intently as he continued. "The first team will split up. Some will infiltrate the island from underneath through the water, while the rest enter from above. La'gaan, you and Charlie will be infiltrating underneath with Aquaman." That caused a small cheer to come from the Atlantean teen, and the sandy haired girl nudged him in the side to try and get him to be quiet. "Batman and myself will infiltrate from the top with Batgirl and Robin. The rest of you who are here, along with Wonderwoman and Superman, will be on standby. Is this clear?" Everyone nodded, and Nightwing continued. "Then let's get moving."

**South Pacific - January 6, 20:32 HAST**

Riptide stood beside La'gaan and Aquaman inside the bioship, the three of them prepared to drop to the waters below as they approached Malina Island while Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin and Batman sat in seats. Everyone looked at Batman as he began to speak. "Remember, this is primarily a recon. mission. We wanna discover all we can about the Kroloteans' invasion strategy before we shut them down and deliver them to the Green Lantern Core." Everyone nodded in understanding, and Nightwing spoke up.

"Approaching drop zone beta." Charlie looked at La'gaan and Aquaman, and they all nodded at each other before jumping through a hatch that was created. Aquaman and La'gaan plummeted into the water, and Charlie formed a bubble around herself with water before joining them. The three of them swam further below, and they soon came upon an underwater entrance. The brown haired girl looked at La'gaan and Aquaman as they said something to each other in Atlantean, and figuring she wouldn't be much help, she simply stayed back a bit to let them open the entrance. Once they did she was the first to swim through it, and the three of them swam together inside.

They ended up sending a camera to the surface to see what was going on, one that wouldn't draw the attention of the Kroloteans. They watched from a small screen, and Charlie scowled when she saw one of Black Manta's goons on the screen. And judging by the helmet he was wearing, she had a feeling she knew exactly who it was too. "Aqualad..." she whispered to herself.

She was brought out of her thoughts when a large laser suddenly came down into the water. Before Charlie had any time to react, the laser pierced her bubble, causing it to pop. The sandy haired girl accidentally breathed in some water, and she quickly swam to the surface before she could breathe in any more. She pulled herself onto land and ended up on her hands and knees, coughing up water. Aquaman and La'gaan appeared beside her.

"Are you alright Riptide?" Aquaman asked. Charlie coughed a bit and nodded.

"Yeah. I'm fine." She stood up and looked at the two. Kroloteans suddenly started running at them, and Aquaman went to fend them off. A mech suddenly appeared before Charlie and La'gaan, locking its weapons on them, and they two of them glanced at each other before La'gaan bulked up and jumped on top of it, destroying it in the process. Another one appeared, and Charlie formed some water around her arms and shoulders before grabbing the mech with her tentacle like arm made from the water and sending it crashing into the wall of the island.

During this time, Batman, Nightwing, Robin and Batgirl were battling Black Manta's goons. Eventually they began retreating, shooting at everyone along the way, and Robin informed them that the enemy was attempting to escape before he called for backup. Charlie rushed over to Aquaman, who had been hit in the shoulder by a laser, and she helped him up. "Are you alright?" He nodded, and the brown haired girl looked up, eyes narrowing as a mech appeared behind the blonde hero. She prepared to take it down, when it suddenly got hit with a laser, and Superman entered the scene carrying Superboy, Wonderwoman and Wondergirl flying in right behind him.

This left Charlie and Aquaman open to chase after Aqualad, though none of them knew at that time that it was except for her. Why else would only one other goon wear almost the same armor as Black Manta unless they were his right hand man? And who better to be his right hand man than his son, Aqualad? Charlie, La'gaan, and Aquaman attacked him, and the blonde hero landed a blow to his face, making his helmet come off. He got up and turned to face them. When they saw who was behind the helmet, they all looked at him wide-eyed.

"I had not believed Nightwing until this moment," Aquaman said. Aqualad scowled at him.

"You did not want to believe!" he replied. Superboy ended up joining them and spoke up.

"None of us wanted to believe this! How could you betray us?!" This seemed to get Aqualad angry.

"You dare question me?! After all of you let Tula die!" He made two swords form in his hands out of water and got into a fighting stance. Nightwing jumped in front of everyone, facing Aqualad.

"Kaldur, that was a mission. Aquagirl knew the risks. No one wanted her to-" La'gaan swiftly cut him off.

"Neptune's beard! Don't coddle this traitor! He has joined forces with our king's greatest enemy."

"Do you mean the king who hid from me the true identity of my father?" Kaldur asked. Aquaman spoke up.

"That was my error in judgement Kaldur'ahm. No one else need suffer for it." Kaldur scowled.

"All will suffer if Black Manta demands it. Blood is thicker than seawater." A missile suddenly launched from his shoulder, aimed at all of them, but Superman stood in front of them and took the blow. When the smoke cleared from the explosion, Nightwing and Superboy had disappeared, along with Kaldur.

After a couple minutes, Nightwing contacted everyone and informed them that there was a bomb getting ready to detonate, and he ordered them to evacuate. Batman looked at everyone. "You heard Nightwing! Move!" Everyone began abandoning the island. Wonderwoman ended up flying out carrying Aquaman, and Wondergirl carried La'gaan. Charlie followed them on a disk of water under her feet that she levitated.

Eventually, everyone except Superman ended up in the bioship. Most of them took seats, but Charlie was too anxious to sit, so she stood with Superboy and Aquaman. Megan began flying the bioship away from the island. Unfortunately, they still got caught in the blast for a moment, causing the entire ship to jolt. The people sitting were just pinned to their seats, but Superboy, Aquaman and Charlie ended up hitting the wall. The sandy haired girl blacked out for a few moments before waking up. She moaned, her head pounding, and she shakily stood up and leaned against the wall.

Once it was safe, Megan brought the bioship down towards the water, where Aquaman grabbed Superman out of the ocean and brought him inside. Once inside, Wondergirl was the first to speak. "What just happened?"

"The Kroloteans were clearly trying to build a new ship." Megan said.

"They had to Angelfish. It was their only way to leave Earth without their zeta platforms or their original ship," La'gaan pointed out. Wondergirl spoke up again.

"But was Aqualad helping them escape or...luring them into a trap?" Finally, Nightwing spoke up.

"The bomb was of alien origin, yet the Kroloteans clearly knew nothing about it. So where did it come from?"

"I have a feeling it may be up to you and your team to find out," Batman said.

_**Aaaand, that's the second chapter! What did you think? Love it? Hate it? Would love your opinions!**_


	3. Salvage

**Mount Justice - February 13, 21:51 EST**

"Congratulations. The zeta shield is now operational." Charlie's baby blue eyes stared at the screen as the zeta shield was finally activated. Now no more Kroloteans, or anyone for that matter, could zeta to or from Earth without prior authorization. The first one to speak after a few moments was La'gaan.

"Absolutely historic." She had to agree with him there. That caused her to mentally scoff. She never expected herself to agree with something Lagoon Boy said. Of course, it didn't last long, as the red eyed Atlantean suddenly turned and called out to Professor Carr. "Professor Carr! You should have your cave-schooled pupil write a term paper about this!" Charlie sighed and rolled her eyes, looking past La'gaan and M'gann as as Superboy entered the room. Of course, La'gaan either took no notice, or simply ignored him as he continued to speak. "With the zeta shield in place, no alien can teleport to our planet from off-world. Even your Strange friend won't be able to travel to and from Rann without prior approval." He said the last part to M'gann, though everyone heard him.

"Shield's great, but it won't stop a spaceship. Or a boom tube," Superboy pointed out. That left a confused look on Jaime's face.

"What's a boom tube?" he asked. Scarab answered him, unheard by everyone else. _Boom tube: An alternate means of instant transport between distant locations. Not compatible._ That caused an irritated expression to cross over Jaime's face. "Not compatible with what?! I swear I don't understand half the things to say!" Everyone looked at the Latino oddly, and Mal spoke up.

"Feeling's mutual." Jaime looked away with a sheepish expression, and Charlie simply shrugged.

"Where's Nightwing?" Superboy asked.

"Taking the night off," Mal replied. "Personal business." That caused Superboy to sigh.

"Perfect." The dark haired boy looked around the room. His eyes landed on Beast Boy first, who was on the computer studying, Professor Carr watching over him. He looked at M'gann and La'gaan as the Atlantean spoke up, asking her if she wanted to get back to movie night while they rubbed their noses together. Charlie was watching this with an annoyed scowl, when Superboy grabbed her arm and Jaime's roughly. "Tag, you're it."

Jaime began to protest, and Mal's eyes widened. "Woah woah woah woah Con. Yo, what are you-" Mal was swiftly cut off by Superboy.

"Taking the night off. Personal business..." With that, he dragged both Charlie and Jaime away. The three of them and Wolf ended up leaving the cave on Sphere, and began flying to a location unknown to both Jaime and Charlie. It was silent before Jaime shushed someone, and then he spoke up.

"Alright already, I'll ask!" Riptide, who was sitting next to him, looked at him curiously, and Superboy spoke up.

"Ask what?"

"Oh...Any piece of this mission you feel like letting me in on? Look, I know you only picked me because Gar was studying and La'gaan and M'gann were...whatevering. But I'm here _ese,_ and I wanna help," Jaime said. Charlie nodded.

"Me too. We wouldn't have come if we didn't want to help." Superboy glanced at them.

"Yeah, okay." He pressed a button, and three screens appeared, one in front of each of them, an image of an island on them. "The bomb Aqualad used last month to destroy Malina Island was clearly of alien origin. Obviously the Kroloteans that perished there didn't know anything about it. So we need to figure out where it came from." The picture on the screens changed to a group of people. "The criminal organization Inter-gang has a history of trafficking in alien tech, smuggled to Earth through boom tubes. So I've been keeping tabs in Whisper A'Daire, one of Inter-gang's top lieutenants. Tonight, her boss, Bruno "Ugly" Mannheim, crawled out of hiding to meet up with her. They're both in that truck. And it looks like they're headed for...the Hall of Justice..."

Charlie looked at the truck that they had been following before looking back at Superboy. The truck eventually stopped at the Hall, and Riptide, Superboy and Blue Beetle watched from the sky as Whisper and Ugly started walking towards the entrance. Superboy tried using his x-ray vision on the briefcase that Ugly was holding, but wasn't having any luck, so he turned to Blue. "Can you scan that case?"

"Yeah. Sure." Blue scanned the case, the metallic yellow eyes of his costume beginning to glow as he did. _Cannot scan contents. Not compatible._ Blue looked at the scanner on his arm, clearly annoyed. "Not compatible again? What does that even mean?" Superboy and Riptide both looked at him.

"Blue, what do you mean? Who are you talking to?" Superboy asked. Jaime sighed softly and looked at them.

"Its the scarab, the thing stuck to my spine that gives me the armor, the powers. It's an artificial intelligence created by Ted Kord. You know, the previous Blue Beetle."

"Yeah, I knew him. Good man..." Superboy said, glancing away.

"So I hear," Blue replied. "Guess he was a super genius or something. Captain Atom figures the scarab was Kord's ultimate invention. But the Light killed him before he had a chance to use it.' He paused before continuing. "The scarab advises me. Think Jiminy Cricket, with a really bad attitude," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "But he can't scan the briefcase for some reason."

"Can he scan the Hall? Ugly may be about to launch an attack against whoever's inside. And it's shielded from my infrared vis-"

"Scan complete," Blue said, cutting him off. "Hall's deserted." Charlie looked at the two of them.

"If the Hall's deserted, what could they possibly be doing there then? There's no way they would go there without knowing if it was empty or not," she said. The three of them watched as Ugly set the case on the ground and opened it, revealing Apocalyptan tech.

"Let's go," Superboy said, bringing Sphere to the ground. Whisper suddenly looked their way and said something to Ugly. That was when he pressed a button, and Blue suddenly started clutching his head. _Not compatible! Not compatible!_ Superboy and Charlie looked at him in concern.

"Blue, are you okay?" she asked, though the Latino never replied. Superboy turned his attention from Jaimer to Whisper and her boss.

"Game's over Ugly. Hand over the device." He jumped down to the ground and faced the two, and Charlie turned to Jaime.

"Blue." She jumped as she heard a crash and turned to see some kind of monster break through the walls of the Hall of Justice. It let out a loud moan, and Ugly smirked.

"Attack." The monster suddenly attacked Superboy, and Charlie's eyes widened and she turned back to Jamie once again.

"Blue come on! Snap out of it! We need you!" While Charlie was sitting there shaking Jaime and Superboy and Wolf were battling the monster, Sphere sent out a signal. After a few moments, the Latino groaned and woke up. He looked at the scene before him with wide eyes.

"What is that thing?!" he asked. _Appolaxian Golem._ "You know, I'm bilingual, and I still have no idea what you just said." _Irrelevant. Attack._ Charlie just listened quietly, figuring Jaime was having a conversation with Scarab. She watched him suddenly stand up, wings coming out. "Okay, now that I get." The sandy haired girl watched as Blue aimed his sonic cannon at the creature, when Superboy shouted up to him.

"Blue, no!" Jaime didn't listen, using his sonic cannon anyway. The creature, however, fired it back on a larger scale, knocking Superboy, Riptide, Blue Beetle, and Wolf and Sphere to the ground. By the time they all came to, Whisper, Ugly and the creature were all gone. They all got on Sphere and went searching for it, when Blue spoke up.

"How are the ears?" he asked Superboy.

"Fine!" he shouted before wincing. "Fine. But what were you thinking of using sonics against an Appolaxian?"

"Dude, never even heard of an Appo...laxitive before tonight." Blue replied, causing Superboy to sigh.

"You freshmen never do the homework." he said. "Haven't you read the case file on the League's first mission? Haven't you taken the guided tour of the Hall?"

"Those are rhetorical questions, right?" Superboy rolled his eyes at Blue's response.

"The Appolaxians were an alien race of energy beings that attacked Earth twelve years ago. They inhabited elemental host bodies, including one of crystal, that could absorb and redirect a sonic attack," Charlie said.

"Ohhh." Superboy looked at her, impressed.

"Well, I stand corrected. One of you freshmen did do the homework." Charlie grinned, and Blue spoke up.

"So what were they doing inside the Hall?" he asked.

"The original seven members of the League drove the energy beings off-world. The empty husks the aliens left behind became the League's first trophies. Superboy replied. Riptide spoke up.

"Ugly's device must have reactivated the husks. Combined them somehow into a creature he could control." Superboy nodded.

"My thoughts exactly." Superboy said. "Sphere's tracking the device's Apocalyptan energy readings." It was silent for a few moments as Sphere did just that before Superboy spoke up again. "We're closing in."

**Arlington - February 13, 22:45 EST**

The three of them, Sphere and Wolf eventually found Whisper and Ugly, and they kept quiet while they listened to their conversation.

"And with this thing as my enforcer, I can expand Inter-gang's reach exponentially." That was when Superboy decided to make their presence known.

"Wow, five syllables. I didn't think you knew any words with more than two." Charlie snickered at that.

"Hilarious," Ugly said, not at all amused. "But we'll see who's laughing when I-" Superboy cut him off.

"New Genosphere. Jam all Apocalyptan signals in the area." Sphere made a noise before doing what Superboy said, causing the device Ugly had to short out. He quickly dropped it, and the creature suddenly stamped its foot down on the ground a few feet away from him.

"Uh oh." The creature knocked Whisper and Ugly to the ground before doing the same to Sphere. Luckily, Supernboy, Blue, Wolf and Riptide had the sense to jump out before it did. The creature landed on the ground after jumping in the air, causing a bunch of snow to blow around them like a mini blizzard. Charlie used her powers to make it stop blowing, and it simply fell to the ground. Superboy and Wolf went after the creature simultaneously, but it knocked them both away, causing them to black out.

Blue went after it with his 'battering ram,' but ended up falling to the ground after hitting it. _I warned you that tactic would be ineffective_ Scarab said. Jaime narrowed his eyes. "Por favor! I trying to-" He was silenced as the creature stepped on him with its large foot. Charlie was ready to attack it, when she saw it had stopped. It suddenly started walking away, and she blinked before running over to Superboy and Jaime, figuring she would be of more use helping them since she knew she couldn't defeat the Appolaxian by herself.

Eventually everyone woke up, including Ugly and Whisper. Superboy quickly grabbed them and pushed each of them against a tree. "You freed the beast Super_brat._ Now no one's controlling the monster." Superboy ignored this and turned to Jaime.

"Blue, lock them down." Blue Beetle obeyed, locking them to a tree by shooting large staples around both of their arms. _That tactic would be more effective if you fired through bone._ Jaime's face twisted in disgust.

"Eww. No!" Superboy suddenly spoke up.

"Blue, let's go! You can fight your demons later," he said, hopping onto Sphere.

"Demon, singular. One's enough, believe me." Charlie shook her head at Blue's words and they both hopped onto Sphere too before they flew away. They found it near a nuclear power plant, and Superboy jumped off Sphere.

"Deploy! We can't let it reach the reactor!" He and Wolf attacked it, and Jaime knocked it off its feet using his 'battering ram.' It attempted to get back up, only for Sphere to knock it down again, and Superboy and Wolf tried to keep it pinned down. "Hold it down! Lock it down!"

"Working on it!" Blue said. He stapled its arms down, and Superboy ordered Sphere to try and take control of it. Unfortunately, the creature got up, swatting away Blue, Superboy, Wolf and Riptide. Everyone groaned, and Blue spoke again. "I don't suppose we could just ask it to play nice." _Such a tactic would betray weakness_ Scarab replied. "Wait, you mean it's possible?"

Blue suddenly equipped his cannon, and Superboy tried to stop him. "Blue stop! Sonics don't work!"

"Not as an attack. But maybe as a-" _Privolty adjusted. Proceed._ He shot his sonics at it, and the creature fired some back before Blue let out a moan.

"Blue, break off! Whatever you're doing break off before it kills you!" Superboy said, attempting to pull Jaime away.

"No! It's not attacking. It's communicating. Communicating its pain. Listen!" His eyes suddenly started glowing yellow, and Jaime started speaking, but not in his voice.

"Where is the stillness of wood. Of stone. Of crystal. Of metal. All this noise. All this life, this pain. We sense the power in this place. Power enough to destroy us. To end the pain. To be still again."

"I can relate," Superboy said, causing Jaime and Charlie to look at him. "I mean, we can help you. We _will _help you." That was when another sonic came out of nowhere, hurting both the creature and Blue. The creature was destroyed, and Blue fell unconscious, Superboy rushing forward to catch him. Superboy and Riptide both looked around, wondering where the attack came from, but they saw no one. Two guards came by and thanked them, and Blue woke up.

"It was alive. And now it's gone...Who attacked? Who killed it?" he asked. Superboy narrowed his eyes.

"Someone ugly."

_**And this is where I end this chapter. Reviews always appreciated! :3**_


	4. Depths

**Mount Justice - March 19, 11:42 EDT**

It had been weeks since Riptide had been on an important mission. Most of her days since the mission with Superboy and Blue Beetle was spent trying to find something to do to keep herself occupied. Of course, with Bart Allen, aka Impulse joining the team, that was starting to become a bit easier. That kid was all over the place most of the time, usually stringing others along for the ride. It definitely helped kill Charlie's boredom.

Riptide was currently in the meeting room with Nightwing, Superboy and Mal, looking at a screen with both Impulse and Roy Harper, who had been rescued by Cheshire and Red Arrow, on it. They all looked at the screen in silence, until Mal broke it. "They're both going to wind up our responsibility, aren't they?"

"Not necessarily," Nightwing replied. "Bart, Impulse, is staying with Jay and Joan Garrick in Central City. Roy, the original Speedy, is recuperating in Royal Memorial Hospital in Star City. Arrows Green and Red are watching over him."

"Mhm. They're both going to wind up our responsibility." Mal said, causing Charlie to smirk.

"Doesn't everything?" Superboy asked. "I mean, where are we on identifying the Light's new partner?" That caused Nightwing to sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose.

"No progress..." Charlie crossed her arms.

"We'll just have to keep searching and digging until we make progress," she said. A laugh suddenly rang through the area, and everyone turned towards the entrance. M'gann and La'gaan waltzed in, the Martian levitating a plate of crab cakes, which the Atlantean was gobbling up, causing M'gann to laugh.

"La'gaan, don't eat so fast," she said, amusement evident in her voice.

"I can't help it Angelfish. The idea of _cooking_ crabs is amazing enough. But making them into little cakes?" After saying that, La'gaan proceeded to pop another one into his mouth, making M'gann say that he was going to choke.

"If only." Charlie looked at Superboy as he said that.

"Couldn't have said it better myself," she mumbled so only he could hear. M'gann offered another crab cake to La'gaan, which he quickly ate out of her hands before looking at Superboy with a smirk.

"Mmm. If that's not true love, I don't know what is. _Chum_." That caused both Riptide and Superboy to scowl, and the dark haired male started walking away.

"Call me when it's time for the briefing," he said. That was when the electronic voice from the zeta tube was heard.

"Recognized: Artemis, B07." Said girl walked in, and Nightwing said it was time for the briefing. M'gann was quick to run over to the blonde and pull her into a hug, making the plate of crab cakes almost crash to the floor. Luckily La'gaan caught it before that could happen, and Charlie snatched a crab cake and popped it in her mouth before walking over to Artemis.

"How's Wally?" M'gann asked her.

"He's...Wally." That caused both girls to giggle, and Mal and Superboy soon walked over to them.

"Welcome back girl," Mal said.

"We have so missed you around here," Superboy chimed in.

"I relish this opportunity to finally fight beside you archer," La'gaan said. Artemis just stood there, letting an awkward silence fill the room for a few moments before she spoke.

"Um...thanks, La'gaan?" Charlie rolled her eyes and smacked the Atlantean on the back of the head before walking over and hugging Artemis.

"It's nice to see you again Artemis. I missed you." The blonde hugged her back with a smile, and they both pulled away before Nightwing spoke up.

"Okay gamma squad, listen up." Everyone turned to look at Nightwing as he pulled the holo-screen up. "Ths mission is Cape Canaveral. Covert op. to safeguard the first Earth-Mars com. sat. There are people out there who don't even like the idea of aliens, and will do anything to scrub this launch." M'gann looked down, and Artemis placed a hand on her shoulder.

"But, that's why I came back. Because not all of us feel that way." Charlie placed a hand on her other shoulder.

"Exactly. Don't worry M'gann. we'll prove that not all aliens are bad." she said. Mal suddenly spoke up.

"So why are you going?" he asked, looking at Nightwing. The masked boy smirked.

"Let's just say that after running this team for a year, I'm peckish for a little action," he said, adjusting one of his gloves. Charlie looked at him curiously.

"I've been wondering. Why me? Not that I'm not excited to be going, because I am. But why did you want me to go on this mission?" she asked. Again Nightwing smirked.

"You looked like you were peckish for a little action too. And since we will be near water, I figured your abilities might come in handy." Riptide couldn't argue with him there, and she shut her mouth, satisfied with his answer.

**Cape Canaveral - March 19, 20:59 EDT**

Riptide was currently underwater with La'gaan, a bubble of water around her while Nightwing and Artemis watched over the satellite from afar. M'gann and Superboy were probably disguised as Martian Manhunter and Superman about now to make everyone think the Leaguers who had gone into space were still on Earth. It was silent for a few minutes, until Riptide suddenly heard M'gann's voice in her head saying a link had been established between the six of them. _"Good. Begin aerial sweep of the cape's perimeter,"_ Nightwing ordered.

_"Hey boss,"_ La'gaan said mentally. _"I'd be happy to join my Angelfish on that assignment."_ Charlie rolled her eyes, making a gagging gesture in front of the Atlantean, making sure he was watching her. He made a face at her, and Nightwing's voice was heard.

_"Negative Lagoon Boy. You're right where I need you. Giving me maximum coverage in the water, on land, and in the air in case there's any attempt at sabotage."_

"And so I'm stereotyped as the water guy...again." La'gaan muttered out loud, leaving only Riptide to hear him. "Meanwhile, she flies the friendly skies alone with Super ex-boyfriend. Neptune's beard!" Charlie rolled her eyes at the Atlantean's words.

"Shut up La'gaan. I didn't come on this mission to hear you complain the entire time," she said. La'gaan glared at her.

"You're just jealous because I have someone special and you don't." Riptide glared daggers at him, and he glared right back at her, his beady red eyes filled with defiance. Eventually she looked away, and they both swam around underwater, watching over the perimeter. It was clear for a few minutes before something suspicious came into view and the two of them stopped swimming. _"Woah, heads up minnows. we've got bad guys. Black Manta's troopers, working some kind of platform beneath the surface just off shore. I'm taking em' down."_ The Atlantean began to swim away, when Nightwing spoke up.

_"Delay that. Wait for backup."_ he ordered.

_"You know I'm here too right? Or did you forget?"_ Charlie said mentally.

_"I'll scrounge a re-breather from the cargo hold and help the rookie out,"_ Superboy replied. That caused La'gaan to scowl.

_"Rookie?! Neptune's beard! I don't need any help from the Boy of Steel!"_ With those words passed through their brains, the Atlantean bulked up and swam towards the platform they had discovered.

_"Lagoon Boy, stand down!"_ Nightwing ordered. It was no use, as La'gaan began attacking the troopers.

_"Sorry, you're breaking up!"_ He began making static noises for effect.

_"There's no static on a psychic link!"_ Nightwing reminded him. Charlie sighed and began attacking the troopers with La'gaan, figuring there was no use trying to hide now that he had given her position away. She attacked troopers while making her way to La'gaan, and she knocked one out before glaring at him.

"What the hell were you thinking going against protocol? You might have just gotten us killed with your dumb decision!" she shouted. La'gaan continued taking out troopers as they spoke.

"I don't need a lecture from you Riptide. I'm older than you. I know what I'm doing." Charlie scowled and dodged an attack from a trooper.

_Superboy, you have that re-breather?" _Nightwing asked.

_"Negative. La'gaan didn't restock,"_ he replied.

_"Then take the helm. Miss Martian, gill up and help Lagoon Boy and Riptide. Superboy, we need cover fire down here." _Nightwing ordered.

_"Acknowledged,"_ M'gann said. "_Bioship reconfigured for manual flight."_ Superboy took her spot at the helm, and Miss Martian gilled up and jumped to the waters below through a hatch she opened up. _"La'gaan, Charlie, I'm on my way."_

Meanwhile, Artemis and Nightwing were taking fire, and the blonde went to jump over the wall when Superboy began firing back at the troopers. Nightwing, however, quickly grabbed her before she got hit and brought her back down. _"I know you're rusty, but are you trying to get yourself killed?"_

Riptide and Lagoon boy were still underwater battling troopers, with no sign of M'gann. Suddenly, La'gaan was shocked and fell unconscious. Charlie's eyes widened. "La'gaan!" Her lungs filled with water as her bubble was popped, and she felt electricity course through her body before she blacked out too.

_**That's it for this chapter. Hope you liked it. :) Review please!**_


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